Bin



June 14 1927. 632,103 w. M. VENABLE.

BIN

Filed Sept. 5, 1925 3 Sheets-Shut 1 avwwtoz $5 [in filbtwmug June 141927.

. w. M. VENABLE BIN Filed Sept. 5

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 14, 1927. 1,632,103

w. M. VENABLE BIN Filed Sept. 5,1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 [wlfo l /7 /7 w I:f

Slnvamtoz W m Mum Patented June 14, 1927.

UNITED STA S PATIENT OFFICE,

WILLIAM M. vnmusnn, or PITTSBURGH, rnnNsYLvANIA, Assrenoa 'ro iannw-xnox1 COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

. Application filed September}, 1925. Serial No. 54,596.

My invention relates to bins useful for storing materials in bulk, andis more especially concerned with the stress-resisting structure orframing of such bins. Besides lightness, strength, and simplicit ofconstruction, I aim at facilitating an cheapening the manufacture,shipment, and-erection ofabin, a

I have here illustrated and described my invention as applied to thegeneral type of construction shown in m'yprior Patent 'No.

1,486,206, granted March 11, 1924.

In the drawings, Fig.1 is a partial side view and a partial sectionalviewlofla bin construction conveniently embodying my invention; i

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with a portion of the bin:shellbrokenaway; and

Fig. 3 is an elevationof the framing-construction at one of the cornersof the-bin, taken diagonally as indicated by the arrow 38 in Fig. 2.

The structure shown in: the drawings comprises EL'lOlIl proper or shellthat :is sustained and held in shape byrframing of structural steel, andis supported at a suitable elevation to afford head room for a truck todrive beneath.- As shownfin Figs. 1%, thebin has upright supports 10 atorfadjacent its corners, extending and attached to the upper portion ofthe bin shell, and also interconnected and braced together lower down.These supports 10' have the character of obtuse elbows, with diagonalbraces '11 interconnecting their lower and upper limbs 12 and 13, andcooperating with themto form triangular trusses. .l2serve as legs tosupportthe bin as a whole while the upper limbs 13 serve as cantileversfor laterally sustaining the bin 1 walls. Besides bracing'its limbs 12and13 relative to one another, themember '11 of each support 10; isutilized to'truss or stifien these limbs 1 2'and13 individually, bymeans of strutiand diagonal members 14, 15,16, 17 and 18 connecting andforming with them a V series of triangles. The member 16', itlwillarranged in juxtaposition and secured toi gether (at intervals) fromtheiground aup,5as

avell: 'as at their bends or iangles-20 whence be observed, is common tothe truss bracin ot the lower and upper limbs... r i

,In.the,{present-instance, there is a pair of the supports 10 for eachcorner ofthe quadrilateral (square) bin shown; and they are the trussmembers 16 and diagonals 32, ,32 vfrom the outer ends-of the lower chord301:

The'lower elbow limbs the upper limbs or members 13, '13 diverge. A Thustheir associated lower limbs 12 form .(in effect) a single upright orcolumn leg,

which is braced in two planes at right angles to one another by thecorresponding members 11, Hand their trussing 16, 17, 18. The supportsare interconnected and braced together by horizontal framing comprisingbeams 21 extending between adjacent legs 12, 12 around the bin.

, As the supports 10, 10 are at the bin corners (as already mentioned),each beam 21 also con nects a pair of opposite supports directlyacrossthe space between. In addition, the

upper limbs 13, 13 at each side of the bin are interconnected byhorizontal beams 22, 23, 24 winch help to sustain the bin wallslaterally. As shown in Figs. 1- and 2, the

beams 21 are-of truss construction, eachcomprlsmg upper andilowerchords25, 26 interconnecting the columns 12, 12, ;at.the elbow bends.and at the points 27 where the trussing members 17, 18 are attached tothe imembers 12, 12, and also diagonals 28,- 28

from the bends 20, 20 to the middle points 2901? the lower chord 25. Thebeams 22 are also of truss construction, each comprising chords 30, 26connecting. opposite. ends of the middle points 83 of the upper chord26.

The beams, 23 and 24 are shownv as simple channels, the formerinterconnecting the truss members 14, 14 and the latter extending alongthe upper edges of the bin shell 3 walls. i i I As shown in Fig. 1, thehopper-like bin a shell is of inverted trustiopyramidal form,

with its flat bottom or small base 34 some- Pre'fv erably, this shell isformed of sheet metal,

what below the elbow bendsat20.

reinforced and stil'tened with internal angle bar wales 86, parallelingthe=corresponding members 13, 13 at intervals between them :alongitssides: ."However, the bin shell 'iproper may be. made f wooden panels,merely resting in the steel framework. YVhen of metal, the shell isstiffened by the angularity of its lapped corner joints 37 and bottomjoints 38. Its interior is divided 5 into compartments by a partition40,ex- .tended to ausubstantialheight above its upper edge to preventmaterials heaped up aboveithe top I of the bin. from intermingling.

As shown, the edges bfthis partition are 110 secured to the bin walls byangle bars 11, and it is stiffened with horizontal wales 4-2, 43, and44- (the last along its upper edge). Its upper portion is also stiffenedwith upright wales 4.5. The wales 12 and 43 are braced to one of the binwalls by diagonal members 46, 47, secured to the shell directly oppositethe beams 22 and 23.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the mostheavily loaded strength members of the bin are the flat trussed supports10, and that they are of convenient size and proportions for shippingand erecting, so that they can be completely assembled and riveted up asindividual units at the fabricating plant. In service, a pair of thesesupports (counterparts of one another, except for being rights andlefts) are assembled with their members 12 corner to corner, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, and secured together by angle bar clips 50 in the anglebetween their members 12, 12, at suitable intervals in the height ofthese members. This is a connection exceedingly easy to make; and whenthus set up, the composite legs have practically the same stiffness asif each leg were initially fabricated as one unit. This advantage isindependent, in a measure, of the exact height of the legs: e. g, itobtains even with the legs terminating at the level of the members 25,for example, and supported from the ground on separate supports orpiers. Of course the members 12 of the legs need not necessarily bevertical. Preferably, the bin is completely assembled before any of thebolts employed are finally tightened up. In practice, most of'thestructural members above referred to that are not otherwise describedmay advantageously be of angle-bar section. 7

From Fig. 1 of the drawings and the foregoing description, it will beseen that structurally the bin just described presents ,the variousaspects referred to in my above mentioned Patent N 0. 1, 56,206: e. g.,under one aspect its framing from side to side comprises two nearlytriangular trusses outlined by the members 13, 28, 25, 27, and 11,supported on the lower portions of the columns 12, 12 and bracedtogether against rocking inward or outward by union at their acute lowercorners 29 and by the member 26; while under another aspect, itstransverse framing comprises a straddling lower structure represented bythe beam truss 21 and the upper portions of the columns 12,

12, and cantilever trusses outlined by the members 13, 11, 17, and 12secured to the ends of said beam truss 21 and upstanding therefrom. Herethe upper portions of the columns 12, 12 are in a manner common to beamand cantilever trusses. These two aspects are presented by the binframing no matter from which'sideit is regarded.

From still another point of view, the main framing may be regarded ascomposed of a horizontal polygonal central frame whose sides are thebeams 21, with a couple of cantilevers upstanding from each corner ofthis frame, where it is supported by the columns 12, 12. From a cognatepoint of view, again, the main framing consists of U frames of trussconstruction (outlined by the members 12, 13, 11, 17, 26, 25, 17, 11, 13and 12) arranged in intercrossing parallel pairs and supported at theirintersections; and the portions of the legs below the level of themembers 25 are in effect mere corner piers, such as referred to above.

I claim 1. The combination with a bin of a fabricated supporting leg forthe bin having upwardly and outwardlydivergent branches laterallysustaining adjacent bin sides.

2. The combination with a bin of elbow supports therefor securedtogether in pairs at its corners, with their lower corresponding limbsextending downward to serve as legs for the bin and their other limbsdiverging upward to sustain adjacent bin sides. i

3. The combination with a bin of a fabricated supporting leg thereforwith divergent members branching upwardly and outwardly therefrom forlaterally sustaining the bin sides, and strut braces extending from theleg upward to said members.

4. The combination with a bin of supporting means therefor comprisingindependently assembled triangular trusses disposed in planes at anangle to one another with ad aeent sides thereof united to form a legfor the bin and other sides thereof diverging upwardly and outwardly tosustain adjacent sides of the bin.

5. A bin construction comprising elbow supports with lower limbs servingas legs for the bin and upper limbs sloping outward at the bin sides, acentral frame structure'interconnecting and bracing said elbow supports,and beams interconnecting El e upper limbs of said supports around the6, A bin construction comprising elbow supports with lower limbs servingas legs for the bin. and upper limbs sloping outward at the bin sides,and a central frame structure attached to said supports, andinterconnecting opposite pairs of them directly across the spacebetween.

7 In a bin construction, a plurality of independently assembled unitarytriangular trusses at the bin corners, and beams interconnecting saidtrusses from corner to corner around the bin.

8. In a bin construction, a plurality of independently assembled unitarytriangular trusses formed with the upper sides thereof slopingoutwardlyand upwardly to support Til) the bin sides, and acentral frame structureinterconnecting said trusses and bracing them together to serve assupporting members for the bin.

9. In a bin construction, a fabricated supporting structure at each ofthe bin corners, each of said structures being formed with upwardly andoutwardly diverging branches, beams interconnecting said supportingstructures from corner to corner around the bin, and beamsinterconnecting saidbranches.

10. A bin construction comprising elbow supports at the bin corners withlower limbs serving as legs for the bin and upper limbs sloping outwardto sustain the bin sides, and vertically spaced beams interconnectingsaid supports from corner to corner around the bin.

11. A bin construction comprising elbow supports secured together inpairs at the bin corners, with their lower limbs extending downward toserve as legs for the bin and their upper limbs diverging upward atadjacent sides of the bin, beams interconnecting the interconnectedpairs of elbows at the several bin corners, and beams extendto each legsloping upward and outward therefrom at adjacent sides of the bin, andtrusses interconnecting and bracing together the portions of oppositelegs to which said cantilevers are attached. 7

14. A bin construction. comprising a pluralityof U frames withintermediate portions united in a polygon and upper portions projectingupwardly and outwardly from the corners of such polygon.

15. A bin construction comprising a pluralit of intercrossed U frameswith supporting legs at their intersections.

In testimony signed my name.

WILLIAM M. VENABLE.

whereof, I have hereunto v

